Signing Off

Well, it’s been five months of stimulating, enriching book discussion with me playing Sue Sylvester to Nina’s Will Schuester, but now it draws to a close. I’d like to thank everybody, not only for generous participation in the comments, but also for lurking. You really made this a very successful endeavor. Nina mentioned exploring the possibility of online mock Newbery discussions next year, and if you have any additional thoughts on how to improve Heavy Medal even further, then please drop us a note in the comments. Thanks again!

LOOKING AHEAD

I know many of you will be anxious to get a head start on your 2010 Newbery reading and in a previous thread, we already brainstormed some promising possibilities (listed below). If you’d like a complete list of all the books published in the spring season as well as sneak previews of the fall, then check Publishers Weekly on February 15 as that’s the date of their Spring Children’s Announcements. Happy reading!

ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN by Karen Cushman
THE BIRTHDAY BALL by Lois Lowry
THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
THE CARDTURNER by Louis Sachar
A CONSPIRACY OF KINGS by Megan Whalen Turner
THE DREAMER by Pam Munoz Ryan
AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH by Lynne Rae Perkins
THE FIREFLY LETTERS by Margarita Engle
A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY by Cynthia Kadohata
MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn Erksine
A NEST FOR CELESTE by Henry Cole
THE NIGHT FAIRY by Laura Amy Schlitz
ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia
SIR CHARLIE CHAPLIN by Sid Fleischman
UBIQUITOUS by Joyce Sidman
THE WAR TO END ALL WARS by Russell Freedman
THE WATER SEEKER by Kimberly Willis Holt
WORD AFTER WORD AFTER WORD by Patricia MacLachlan

Jonathan Hunt is the County Schools Librarian at the San Diego County Office of Education. He served on the 2006 Newbery committee, and has also judged the Printz Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. You can reach him at hunt_yellow@yahoo.com

Comments

As someone who also held a Student Mock Newbery I was especially interested in your reports on your student’s experience. I don’t know if this is the appropriate forum, but next year I would be interested in finding out more of your strategies in that area.

Thank you so much for your blogging this year – I always enjoyed it, even (especially?) when I didn’t agree with you. And because of you and Nina, I’ve read a lot more wonderful books than in previous years.

It might be fun to do some e-mail voting. Prizes to those closest to actual results. Or maybe have people submit the titles they would nominate and use those submissions for a discussion list/vote.
But even if you don’t change anything at all, I’m looking forward to the discussion. This has been excellent — acquainted me with new titles, and got me thinking critically about them. Thanks for all your work!

About Heavy Medal

Jonathan Hunt is the County Schools Librarian at the San Diego County Office of Education. He served on the 2006 Newbery committee, and has also judged the Printz Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. You can reach him at hunt_yellow@yahoo.com

Nina Lindsay is the Children's Services Coordinator at the Oakland Public Library, CA. She chaired the 2008 Newbery Committee, and served on the 2004 and 1998 committees. You can reach her at ninalindsay@gmail.com

Join us from September to January as we discuss all things Newbery: the history and purpose of the award, terms and criteria, possible contenders, and results of Mock Newbery discussions--including yours?